Stocking



(No Model.)

J. WHITTLE.

STOGKING.

Da-420,754. Patented Feb. 4, 1890.

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w @Pw .N @NN .N @EN wh/5666 f I GWW@ vmuw ur. Wash UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOSEPH IVIIITTLE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STOCKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,754, dated February4, 1890.

Application filed December 17,1888. Serial No. 293,871. (No specimens.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WHITILE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Stockings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a stocking which will have astrong, durable, and elastic leg and heel, a seamless leg, a seamlessbody portion in the foot, and no longitudinal seam in the body of theheel, said heel being, if desired, thicker than the other parts of thestocking.

In the accompanying drawings are shown the various steps in theformation of a stocking in accordance with my invention.

For the leg and heel of the stocking I employ ribbed knitted fabric, atube A of such fabric being cut on the lines fr, Figure 1, so as to formstocking-blanks, with depending tongues or projections a, as shown inFig. 2, this portion of each blank being intended to form the heel ofthe stocking, and the tubeA being knit with adouble or heavy thread atsuitable intervals for a space equal to the length of the tongue portiona, if the heel is to be re-enforced.

In order to form the heel, the tongue c is doubled upon itself, as shownin Fig. 3, so that the lower corners b of the tongue are brought up tomeet the upper corners b. This forms a bulging of the fabric at eachside of the heel; but this superabnndance is removed and the heelcompleted by the formation of an inclined seam CZ at each side of thesame, as in Fig. 3,the surplus material being removed either before,during, or after the sewing operation. The heel is thus formed withoutany longitudinal seam at the bottom, as such a seam would beobjectionable if formed in the ribbed fabric of which the heel iscomposed.

In order to form the body of the foot, the fabric around the lower end fof the front portion of the leg and that around the front end g of theheel is applied to the needles of a circular-knitting machine, by whicha plain seamless tubular web B is formed, this Web constituting the bodyof the foot, as shown in Fig. 4c.

To complete the toe, a curved line of stitches m may be run around thefront portion of the tube B, as shown in Fig. 5, the surplus portions nbeing removed. The line of stitches is preferably run around the toefrom side to side, rather than from top to bottom, as this insures amore acceptable disposal of the seam at ythe toe.

Owing to the ribbed character of the fabric forming the leg and heel ofmy improved stocking, these portions are warm and durable and the leg isextremely elastic, while the body of the foot is of plain fabric, whichis more desirable for'this part of the stocking and permits the shapingof the toe without the formation of bulky seams.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- The within-described stocking having a leg of ribbedfabric, with ribbed and folded heelpocket having diagonal side seams,and a foot with seamless tubular body of plain fabric, secured at itsinner end to the lower portion of the ribbed leg and the front of theribbed heel, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH WHIT'ILE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM D. CONNER, HARRY SMITH.

